Page 7 Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008
The Vista
Summer recap of films By Greg Newby Staff Writer
The summer of 2008 proved to be very lucrative for filmmakers, especially the ones in the superhero business. In a look at the cumulative numbers for ticket sales, six of the films released this summer found themselves on the top 100 domestic earners of all time list. Every one of these films has a superhero and all are still playing in theaters, STILL lining Hollywood's pockets. At number two on the all-time list is Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight". Released on July 18, this welcome addition to the Batman franchise has earned just over $471 million and counting. In Heath Ledger's last complete role before his tragic death, he was everything anyone could have ever hoped The Joker would be. Squaring off against Batman, with Harvey Dent and Lt. Gordon thrown into the mix, The Joker kept American audiences coming back for more. With TDK still making money in the theaters, it may have a legitimate chance to catch number one on the all-time list, "Titanic", checking in at just over $600 million.
Making a stop at number 22, we'll find John Favreau's "Iron Man". Released at the beginning of the summer, May 2, Iron Man had all summer to bring in the cash, just over $317 million at last count, but still fell well short of Batman's high mark. Robert Downy Jr. stars as millionaire Tony Stark who uses his wealth to build a heavily armored suit to help recover from a life threatening injury, which he then turns into a weapon dedicated to the destruction of evil. This film also continues in theaters, its box office tally still to be decided. Close at Iron Man's heels on the alltime money list is another fixture in a classic franchise, veteran director Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" joining in at number 23. Another film that had all summer to make money, Indy opened on May 22 and has a current gross of $315 million. Dr. Jones is back when he finds himself in the middle of a plot to uncover the secret surrounding the magical artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls. This film is only playing in select locations, however, and will probably not make anymore significant moves on this list. Will Smith stars in the next summer '08 film on the list. Peter Berg's "Hancock" falls in line at number 65
with over $225 million in U.S. ticket sales. Superhero John Hancock has fallen on hard times and is in dire need of some image-fixing. A new look at the superhero genre, but not entirely bad, and at just over a million behind "Rush Hour 2", this movie may have an outside shot to move the list before it's done. Pixar captures America's hearts and pocketbooks again with Andrew Stanton's "WALL-E". Weighing in at number 76, this robot love story grossed a little over $214 million. In between protecting Eve and restoring the human race on the planet Earth, WALL-E could find himself edging out "X2: X-Men United" for the next spot, not even $800,000 behind. The last film on our list of summer blockbusters brings us to number 78 on the all-time list, the joint project between Mark Osborne and John Stevenson, "Kung Fu Panda". Jack Black delivers a stellar performance as Po, a panda who has been called to save all the animals in the Valley of Peace. A great film for all ages, "Kung Fu Panda" just missed the $212 million mark, but could very well get there before the summer's out. Hollywood's elite should be happy with the coin American audiences forked over in these last few months.
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THE ARTS The 'Reel' Deal By Greg Newby Staff Writer
With summer winding down and school starting up, some may need a break from reality after this grueling first week of the semester. To help ea se your back-toschool blues, here's a list of films the major studios are putting out this weekend. ,
Hamlet 2 Directed by Andrew Fleming ("Dick" and "Threesome"), "Hamlet 2" follows the story of Dana Marschz (Steve Coogan, "Night at the Museum" and "Hot Fuzz"), a high school drama teacher who, after several failed productions, is working to stop the closure of his drama department at Tucson's West Mesa High School. Short on talent, both in his drama class and from himself, Marschz attempts to overcome adversity by creating a sequel to the Shakespearian play "Hamlet." He manages to find a way to motivate his class and gain support of an ACLU attorney (Amy Poehler, "Blades of Glory" and "Mr. Woodcock") and his favorite actress, Elisabeth Shue ("Hollow Man" and "Tuck everlasting") in his quest to save his failing department. This film is rated R for language including sexual references, brief nudity and some drug content.
Death Race Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson ("Resident Evil" and "Alien vs. Predator"), "Death Race" is the remake of the 1975 film "Death Race 2000" in which three-time speedway champion turned convicted felon Jensen Ames (Jason Statham, "The Transporter" and "The Bank Job") attempts to win his freedom in the ultimate reality show /blood sport competition. After being setup in a nasty murder, Ames is given two options by prison warden Hennessy (Joan Allen, "The Notebook" and "The Bourne Supremacy): run the last-man-alivewins race or never see his daughter again. Supplied with Mustang V8 Fastback equipped with mini-guns, flame throwers and napalm, Ames drives like a man on a mission, hell-bent on winning his life back. This film is rated R for strong violence and language.
The House Bunny Directed by Fred Wolf ("Strange Wilderness"), "The House Bunny" outlines the story of Shelly Darlingson (Anna Farris, "Waiting" and "Scary Movie 4"), a Playboy Bunny who finds herself kicked out of Hugh Hefner's mansion after a spat with one of the other girls. Darlingson has nowhere else to go until she stumbles upon a defunct sorority, Zeta Alpha Zeta, on the verge of dosing its doors.
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In a moment of mutual need, the Zetas take Darlingson in as their house-mother, who then teaches them how to bloom socially in an attempt to reach their goal, signing a new pledge class and staying open. This film is rated PG-13 for sex-related humor, partial nudity and brief strong language.
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By Greg Newby Staff Writer
The Dave Matthews Band Summer Tour 2008 made a stop at Oklahoma City's AT&T Bricktown Ballpark last Wednesday night. What started out as a blisteringly hot August afternoon transformed into a beautiful, breezy evening, perfect for a concert under the stars. As the opening act, the Eli Young Band, took the stage at 7, several thousand made their way down to the field level to fill up the general admission floor in front of the stage as other fans trickled down into the seats around the stadium. During their hour-long set, the Eli Young Band did what they could to entertain the crowd, but the audience seemed a bit lethargic and pre-occupied with anticipation for the main act. The light smattering of applause between each song eventually took its toll on the band, which affected the rest of their songs. As the sun began to set, the Eli Young Band seemed to be ready to get off the stage and the crowd was more than ready for the main event. Dave Matthews and his band, minus usual saxophonist LeRoi Moore, took the stage around 8:15 amid explosive applause and cheering from the crowd. With Jeff Coffin,
of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones fame, sitting in for the hospitalized Moore, they launched into a set with the laid-back explosiveness that Dave Matthews fans have come to love, opening with "Seek Up". The audience seemed to get into the show and settled into the relaxed, easy rhythm of the two songs that followed when the band broke into a cover of "Burning Down the House", originally recorded by Talking Heads, which electrified the crowd and brought a new energy to the venue which it had not seen all evening. They went on to play several fan favorites, such as "Old Dirt Hill", "Crash Into Me", "#41", and "Stay". After closing with the DMB staple, "Ants Marching", the band left the stage amid a massive standing ovation that lasted nearly ten minutes. Much to the surprise of many, several patrons began to leave before the show was over. When the applause and chants of 'DAVE, DAVE, DAVE' had finally died off, DMB came out for an encore performance. The early departures missed a cover of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" and an extended version of "Two Step", with a Carter Beauford drum solo, to conclude the three-hour show.